The father of the modern Chicago blues, Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) electrified the traditional sounds of the Delta as he cleared a path for rock ’n’ roll. ∙ At age 17, he sold a horse to buy his first guitar and rapidly earned a reputation as the best player in his region of the Mississippi Delta. ∙ Ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax recorded Waters for the first time in 1941 and 1942—sessions later released as The Complete Plantation Recordings, which went on to win a Grammy Award. ∙ “Louisiana Blues,” released in 1950, was the first of his 13 Top 10 Blues singles, which include such classics as “(I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Mannish Boy.” ∙ His Newport Jazz Festival concert, released as At Newport 1960, exposed Chicago blues to a new audience and is ranked among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. ∙ In 1964, The Rolling Stones, who had taken their name from a Waters track, went on a pilgrimage to Chess Records, his label, to meet their hero and record a few sides at Chess’ studio. ∙ Between 1972 and 1980, he won a record-setting six Grammy Awards for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording. ∙ In the ’80s, Waters was inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and (posthumously) the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ∙ Rolling Stone ranked him No. 17 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.